


Christmas Onesie

by peppermintcake



Category: Open Heart (Visual Novels)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:53:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28239528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peppermintcake/pseuds/peppermintcake
Summary: It's Keiki's first Christmas in Boston and Casey has a gift for the Lahelas.Takes place during the events of book 2 (a few weeks after the Chapter 11).
Relationships: Bryce Lahela/Main Character (Open Heart)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	Christmas Onesie

“And dad… don’t let her near the eggnog.”

Casey throws a wink at the phone, leaving her father chuckling as her mother turns a bright shade of red. Confused, Keiki looks at the Valentines before turning to Bryce who seems amused, seemingly knowing what Casey is referring to.

“What am I missing?”

“Nothing, dear.”

“Oh, Keiki. Let me tell you a story...”

“Casey!”

Keiki suppresses a laugh as she sees the halfhearted stern look the older woman tries to throw her daughter over video chat.

“I’ve quite the selection of embarrassing stories about you, you know? I’m sure they would be well received.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“I’m not above a little blackmail.”

With a smile Keiki observes the conversation, occasionally looking at Bryce who seems to engage with his ‘parents-in-law’ seamlessly. It’s great to see all of them getting along so well and she is happy that Casey has such a loving family. They even have welcomed her into the family when they were in Boston just a few weeks ago.

Yet, Keiki can’t help but feel a stab of jealousy at seeing them all so content talking to each other. Of course, she would like to have grown up in a family that shows nothing but support and love for each other.

Instead her brother had walked out on her, rarely called or _hell, texted_ , and although her parents tried to do what they thought was right for her, they didn’t even once stopped to ask her what exactly that is. _Did nobody bother with what she wanted? And did nobody think she was worth being loved?_

“You okay, Keiki?”

Bryce’s question startles her and only now she notices that Casey has already ended her video call.

“I’m fine.”

She gives them a small smile, hoping it’s convincing enough. Their looks however tell her that it’s not. So, she tries to the next best thing and turns to Casey.

“Think we can trust Bryce with the important task of putting the whipped cream on the hot chocolate?”

“Oh, believe me. I’m great with whipped cream.”

He shoots a wink at Casey, making Keiki want to barf. She should have known better.

“With chocolate syrup as well.”

 _Why did she have to bring up the whipped cream?!_ Of course, they would use the opportunity to flirt shamelessly. But honestly, everything, no matter how harmless, could cause this. It’s not as if Bryce’s underage sister would be in the room, having to hear the details about her brother’s sex live… _Oh, wait…_

“Maybe we can let him try today.”

“Since it’s a special occasion? Let’s do it then.” Casey nods and Keiki makes a move to stand up from her spot on the comfortable blanket on the ground.

“Wait. Before we do that and get cozy with _Elf_ , I have something for you.”

Casey rushes to the bag she has brought with her today, taking out two relatively flat red boxes, each of them with a huge white bow and a snowflake ornament.

“Here.” She hands on of them to Keiki, sitting down again. “You first.”

After exchanging a curious look with Bryce and one last glance at Casey who smiles widely at her, she opens her gift.

“Oh my god…”

Keiki is vaguely aware that her jaw probably hit the floor by now, but she couldn’t care less as her hand runs over the soft and warm fabric.

In the last few years, Keiki had always escaped her parent’s over the top, prim and proper, _extremely_ boring Christmas party as soon as she saw the opportunity. She truly hated it.

Conversing with strangers, her parents telling her to ‘ _Go, socialize_.’, wearing the most hideous, bland dresses to not stand out. She hated everything about the cold atmosphere of the party. But most of all did she hate that this was the only time and way her parents celebrated Christmas and bothered to spend more than an hour in the same room with her during the holidays.

So, every time she escaped she exchanged her dress for sweatpants and a top, got the cookies she had hidden in her room out and snuggled into her bed watching a Christmas movie or two.

And the one thing that she observed in almost all of them, and in the few Christmassy episodes of her favorite series, was the traditional ugly sweater. Keiki isn’t sure if her fascination with the garment is simply due to it being a synonym for her of a happy, loving family and a warm atmosphere or if it is maybe also some form of rebellion for her. Something like a colorful, ugly sweater certainly would _never_ be allowed in the Lahela household.

“It’s so ugly…”

Slowly, her finger traces the shape of one of the reindeers on the red material, poking the red nose of the animal before letting her gaze drift over the various small white snowflakes and the imprinted colorful string lights adorning the article of clothing.

“Keiki…”

She recognizes the warning tone in Bryce’s voice, but she is too entranced to care and she can hear Casey smile.

“Take it out.”

Her eyes go wide as she removes the garment from the box, noticing that it’s not a simple sweater, but a onesie. One completed by a hood with small reindeer antlers. Keiki’s sure that by now, her grin must have taken over her whole face.

“I love it!”

Carefully, she puts the Christmas onesie pack in the box before almost tackling Casey with a hug.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

As she extracts herself from the hug, Keiki wonders how Casey could have remembered that she had looked for a sweater or how she figured it out otherwise. She can only remember having made a throwaway comment on somebody wearing a Halloween sweater with the sentence _‘I’m only here for the boos’_ and a couple of ghosts imprinted on it. But that had been right before everything happened and Casey had been stressed out at work at the time. So, Keiki definitely hadn’t expected Casey to remember it.

And as she stands in front of Bryce’s long mirror in his room after having changed into the onesie, she can’t help but grin widely at the girl looking back at her.

“You look great.”

“Yes, ugly looks good on you.”

“Nothing could ever disfigure my beauty, Bryce.”

Chuckling, her older brother leaves the living room and reappears a minute later in his own onesie, the imprint matching hers but the main color being green.

Of course, he has to make a show out of it. Slowly, he struts into the room, his grin ever cocky.

“I think we have to correct ourselves, Case. _This_ is clearly the best I’ve ever looked. It’s really showing this piece of art.”

He gestures along his body. Keiki can only roll her eyes, but recoils when, to her horror, he turns around, shaking his behind to an imaginary beat.

“My eyes!”

At least he’s not twerking – no, never mind. Keiki averts her eyes, certain that she is going to have nightmares for days. In the corner of her eye she can see Casey smiling.

“Come on, Case. Admit that all you want for Christmas is…” Keiki hears a slight thud. She certainly doesn’t have to have seen it to know that the nightmares will now haunt her a day longer, _at least_. “…this.”

And while Keiki presses her lips together, almost wishing herself back to earlier this day when she sat in the apartment alone while Bryce and Casey were working, Casey begins to laugh. First quietly than louder.

And just like that, Keiki is grateful for Bryce’s show. She isn’t sure if it’s the first time Casey has laughed since that awful day weeks ago, but it is the first time since then that she has heard it and seen her so carefree and happy. Keiki notices that the last of Bryce’s tension also seems to have faded away, his eyes shining brightly. So, slightly emotional, Keiki decides to shut up and just enjoy the happy atmosphere.

“You got me,” she chuckles.

“I know. I just hope I can sit down with _this_.”

Bryce turns sideways, pointing to the short tail.

“I’ve tested it in-store. Unless you’re the ‘Princess and the Pea’, you won’t notice.”

“Maybe I am.”

“Well, I’m not ready to marry yet…”

Keiki presses her lips together, this time to suppress the laugh that threatens to escape her as she sees Bryce’s flustered expression.

“… and I know for a fact that you don’t bruise easily.”

It takes Keiki a second, but the grin on the couple’s faces definitely doesn’t leave any room for another interpretation.

“Ewwwwwww!”

Her reactions earns another short laugh from Casey and Bryce, the latter crouching down in front of the redhead.

“I’m so happy to see you laugh again.”

“And I love seeing you laugh genuinely again.”

They smile at each other before Casey leans in for a short kiss and this time, Keiki can’t help but smile herself.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Another kiss follows, this time longer. Keiki simply rolls her eyes, looking super interested at the hung up fairy lights and the little fake tree she had convinced Bryce to get. Of course, his apartment wasn’t fully decorated and definitely not as opulent as their parents house on Christmas, but this time, Keiki was involved in the process and somehow she loves this low-key version a lot more.

“Okay, before you get any more sickeningly lovey-dovey… Do you have something more comfortable to change into, Casey?”

At that, Casey looks at her. Her look careful as if afraid to overstep but hopeful.

“I’ve the same onesie with me. But there are some sweatpants of mine in Bryce’s dresser. I didn’t know if it would be o-- …”

“Sure. We’re family after all.”

And she meant it. Even if Bryce looks flustered once again. She definitely had to remember that this was a way to tease him.

Even though she has only been in Boston for a few months now, she has never felt more at home. It’s not because she is away from her parents and the shadow of the scandal, but because she feels like Bryce is trying to do his best to show her that he truly cares about her. Casey trying the same and accepting her is just the cherry on top.

It feels loving, warm and welcoming and she enjoys every second of it. Regardless of how _disturbing_ it can be sometimes.

“Hey Keiks, I love you.”

Keiki rolls her eyes lovingly, watching Casey slip into the bedroom to change with a smile on her face. Right now, Keiki has trouble imaging ever having a better Christmas.

“Love you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Characters belong to Pixelberry Studios.


End file.
